Obviously, this list is going to contain some award contenders, but there’s more to life than the Oscars. The best movies should surprise, relate and inspire thought, and it’s that direction that led us to this somewhat eclectic bunch of films.
1. La...

The Golden Globes nominations haven’t been as wildly surprising in recent years as it was that one year, when “The Tourist” and “Burlesque” were named two of the best comedy/musicals of the season.
Still, when 2016 nominations were announced from the...

Thomas Middleditch, who stars on the HBO comedy "Silicon Valley," took a break last week from filming the show's fourth season to talk about his new improvised indie "Joshy," which becomes available for streaming Friday on Hulu.
In it, Middleditch...

In "Nocturnal Animals," revenge is a dish best served in manuscript form. One ordinary day in her unhappy marriage, cash-strapped LA art gallery owner Susan, played by Amy Adams, receives a plain brown envelope. Inside is the new novel written by her...

When's the last time you saw a truly fresh talent on screen? Someone so charismatic that you couldn't wait to find out who they are, what they've done before and why you've never noticed? That's what it feels like to watch Hayden Szeto as the sweetly...

Maybe you’ve seen trailers for “The Edge of Seventeen,” a coming-of-age high school movie starring Hailee Steinfeld. The clips hint at the story of an overly dramatic teenager convinced she has it worse than anybody, constantly at the mercy of her...

Vince Vaughn plays Nick Barrow, a thief trying to protect his daughter Cate (played by Hailee Steinfeld) while he's being hunted by drug lords when a heist goes bad, in the upcoming crime drama "Term Life."
The movie, available on demand March 1 and in...

Vince Vaughn showed off a surprising new look in a poster for his upcoming movie: Bangs.
Vaughn, 45, has tousled dark locks in "Term Life" art released to Entertainment Weekly. The "True Detective" star, who grew up in Lake Forest, has long sported a...

A potentially gripping story of empowerment through armed resistance is almost totally undermined by studied, self-conscious storytelling in "The Keeping Room," a handsomely mounted but frustratingly mannered period drama that, in addition to its many...

One Direction might have debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts behind Justin Bieber, but they won the top award at Sunday's American Music Awards.
"This is a testament to how incredible our fans are," Louis Tomlinson said onstage at the Microsoft...

"Ten Thousand Saints" pulsates with full-blooded supporting characters who create a tragic-absurd tapestry of decay and rebellion in the Ronald Reagan years, from depressed New England to volatile New York.
It's too bad the center cannot hold.
The...

Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour stops in Chicago this weekend -- but will she bring her gaggle of besties?
The Soldier Field shows Saturday and Sunday will feature performances by Haim, Vance Joy and Shawn Mendes but with Swift, it's all about her...

Don't mess with Taylor Swift.
That's the takeaway from Swift's much-awaited music video for her latest single, "Bad Blood," which aired at the top of the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night. For days, Swift has been tweeting mysterious,...

Take away the armies and artillery, and a low-budget Civil War movie turns into a Western.
The makers of the upcoming "The Keeping Room," with Brit Marling, Sam Worthington and Hailee Steinfeld, figured that out.
And co-writer/director Kane Senes made...

Can we please talk about the snottiness of "Pitch Perfect 2"? It's seriously snotty. It's a two-hour lesson in how to act like a frenemy to your alleged friends. And it's not funny enough.
Correction: For the sequel to become a global success, yes,...

"We are only here because of the fans," Elizabeth Banks, director of "Pitch Perfect 2," said before the film's premiere at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday. "There are a lot of you here."
"A lot" is an understatement. Hundreds of fans lined...

"Begin Again" is an insistent puppy of a movie, just about willing you to like it. And while it has appeal — you'd have to be a troll to resist it completely — you may end up wanting to enjoy it more than its qualities will allow.
Starring Keira...